Title: Melting Ice

Abstract: If using baking soda and salt together then it will melt the ice faster based off of this hypothesis is the experiment. For this project ice cubes were tested to see if they would melt better with salt, baking soda, or the substances mixed together. Also, what was tested for this project was the amount of water collected underneath the ice cube after it sat for five minutes with the substance on top. The substance was chosen to be tested for five minutes because it was a reasonable amount of time without the ice cube melting from the room temperature. As seen in table five, clearly through all the rest of the tables that this table had more consistent 1/4 tsp than any other table. For this experiment there could be further testing on what other house hold substances could be used to melt ice faster than the salt itself.

Problem: Will salt, baking soda, or both be the best mixture or element to melt ice?
Hypothesis: If using baking soda and salt then it will melt ice faster than with just salt or baking soda.

Experimentation:

Review of Literature:

To conduct this experiment there will be four trials with 10 tries with each. There will be ice cubes from the freezer and place either sodium chloride, baking soda, baking soda and sodium chloride or sugar and sodium chloride to see which elements or mixtures melts the ice the fastest. This would all be done at room temperature. I plan on placing one ice cube on a daisy paper plate and place one gram of each substance on the ice cube, wait fifteen minutes, and then see how much of the ice cube has melted and record that data.

Sodium chloride also known as NaCl is commonly used in rock salt that is used on roads to melt ice and snow. If applied as a liquid it would act immediately because it lowers the freezing point of water. When sodium chloride is added to ice there is what is considered foreign particles in the water, this then makes the freezing point lower causing the ice to then melt. Sodium chloride is usually in solid form in tiny crystal like cubes. The other substance that will be used is baking soda. Baking soda is a chemical salt with many uses. It can be used in cleaning or baking. Baking soda helps maintain a pH balance. When baking and heated it releases carbon dioxide which helps things like bread dough rise. For cleaning, baking soda helps with deodorizing and removing stains. This mixture has many uses so I would like to see its effect on ice. The other substance that will be used is sugar I chose sugar because it has a similar form or shape of salt but is different. The main difference between salt and sugar is the forms between the atoms. Salt consists of one atom of sodium and one with chlorine and has an extremely strong ionic bond. Sugar on the other hand has covalent bonds that aren’t as strong. Ice is water that has reached below thirty two degrees fahreinheit. The difference between water and most substances is that water expands when it’s frozen. The reason it expands when cooled is because the molecules become less dense and spread out.

Standard ice melting compounds are usually some kind of chlorine based salts. Normally the chlorine based salts are the friendliest to the environment and don’t tear up roads and sidewalks. One experiment that was done with sodium chloride was done on a driveway in the winter. On one half of a patch of ice they placed one cup of ice and on the other half rock salt. They waited fifteen minutes to see what would happen. Clearly, the rock salt had dissolved more of the ice than just the regular salt. When they did another trial they got the same results. Also during this trial they did it for cycles of ten minutes and looking at the ice. But still clearly the rock salt beat the regular salt. In another experiment a student used ice in a bowl but they used sodium chloride, potassium chloride and sugar. They constructed five trials for each substance. Overall the sodium chloride melted the most ice the fastest.
Works Cited
Dickinson, William E. "How Does Road Salt Work? / Winter Road Safety / Uses & Benefits / Home - Salt Institute." Salt Institute Home Page, Authoritative Information on Salt, Sodium Chloride, Sodium, Salts,. Salt Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benefits/Winter-road-safety/How-does-road-salt-work>.
Goatley, Mike. "Baking Soda Cleaning Tips Part 1." Stay-at-Home Parents. 7 Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://homeparents.about.com/cs/householdtips/a/baksoda_part1.htm>.
Helmenstine, Anne M. "Melting Snow & Ice with Salt." Chemistry - Periodic Table, Chemistry Projects, and Chemistry Homework Help. About.com, 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa120703a.htm>.
"How Does Salt Melt Ice? at Steve Spangler Science." Science Projects Experiments, Educational Toys & Science Toys. Steve Spangler Science. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/how-does-salt-melt-ice>.
Mascal, Timothy. "Re: What Is the Difference between a Salt and a Sugar Crystal?" MadSciNet: The 24-hour Exploding Laboratory. MadSciNetwork, 21 May 2000. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-05/959085510.Ch.r.html>.
Schafer, Dana. "Eighth-Grade Science Fair Projects That Can Be Done in Less than a Week | EHow.com." EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the Expert in You. | EHow.com. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8256075_eighthgrade-can-done-less-week.html>.
"Sodium Chloride." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 15 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_chloride>.
"What Is Baking Soda?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. WiseGEEK. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-baking-soda.htm>.

Independent Variable: Amount of salt, amount of baking soda, how long it was timed for

Dependent Variable: Amount of water collected after five minutes (with substance) in tsp

Step by Step Procedure:

1. Get out a paper plate and place on a flat surface
2. Get out an ice cube and place on the center of the plate
3. Place the correct amount of either substance on the ice cube
4. Start the stop watch once the substance is on the ice cube.
5. Time for five minutes and write down observation, and how the ice cube melted
6. Repeat for 10 tries for each trial
7. Collect data and observations

Materials:

• 30 Ice cubes (regular)
• 4 Paper Plates
• 7 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 7 1/2 tsp Table Salt
• Stop Watch
• Teaspoon Measure

ENTRIES:
11/20- Today I made sure I had all of the ingredients I needed to preform my science fair project. NS
11/21- Today I conducted one of my trials for my project. Which included the trial of 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. NS
12/20- I decided today that I am doing three more trials to complete 75% of my data. To do this I am planning on doing a trial with more salt than baking soda, one trial with just salt and one trial with just baking soda. I am noticing as I start the 2nd trial that the one with more salt seems to be melting faster. NS
12/24- During school I figured out which graph I need to use and that I need to reduce the data for my tables because I didn't collect enough data. NS
1/1- I finished the table with more salt and less baking soda. NS
1/4- Today my goal is to finish my science fair project and turn it in for Friday. Also today I learned I have to look up melting point and colligative property. NS

Data Table 1: Same Amount of Baking Soda & Salt

	Amount of Salt	Amount of B. Soda	Observations	How long it timed for	Water Collected
Trial 1	1/8 tsp.	1/8 tsp.	The baking soda dissolved right away. Ice seemed to melt slightly at the first minute. The top of the ice cube caved in a little from melting.Visible liquid pooled beneath.	5 mins	app. 1/8 tsp
Trial 2	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Dissolved right away, and began to melt.	5 mins	app. 1/8tsp
Trial 3	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Baking soda dissolved after one minute. Started melting the ice cube after approximately 2 minutes. Starts to break apart the ice cube. Visible water after 3 minutes.	5 mins	1/16 tsp
Trial 4	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Same as trial 3. Visible water after app. 4.15 minutes.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 5	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Baking soda dissolved almost immediately and started melting at least a minute.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 6	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Same as trial 5. But accumulated more water at the bottom than trial 5.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 7	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Took a little longer for the baking soda to melt. (3mins) But still accumulated water.	5 mins	1/16 tsp
Trial 8	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	After the substance mixed together the ice cube started to melt	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 9	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Leaves the ice cubes with ridges almost. Water still accumulates.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 10	1/8 tsp	1/8 tsp	Left craters in the ice cube, lots of water collected.	5 mins	1/8 tsp

Data Table 2: With Different Amounts of Salt and Baking Soda (more salt)

	Amount of Salt	Amount of Baking Soda	Observations	How Long Timed For	Water Collected
Trial 1	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Started Melting right away, water collected underneath, salt dissolved	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 2	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Didn't melt as fast, but still had water collect underneath. Salt and baking soda mix together.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 3	1/4 tsp	1/8tsp	At one minute the water started to melt through the baking soda and salt making a clear mixture. Water pooled underneath after 3 mins.	5 mins	app. 1/4 tsp
Trial 4	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Took a little longer for the water to seep through to the baking soda/ salt (2 mins) but after 5 minutes water was melted underneath the ice cube.	5 mins	app. 1/4 tsp
Trial 5	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Ice almost crated inward and water collected underneath	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 6	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	After 2.15 minutes the water went through the baking soda and salt, water collected underneath.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 7	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Was a lot of water underneath, ice cratered, and made a mixture on top.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 8	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Decreased half the size of the ice cube, and water collected underneath.	5 mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 9	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Had little water underneath the ice cube, and soaked through the baking soda and salt.	5 mins	1/16 tsp
Trial 10	1/4 tsp	1/8 tsp	Had little water collected.	5 mins	1/8 tsp

Data Table 3: Just Baking Soda

	Amount of Baking Soda	Observations	Time	Water Collected
Tria 1	1/4 tsp	Water didn't penetrate through the baking soda and no water underneath	5mins	0
Trial 2	1/4 tsp	Water still didn't go through the baking soda, no water collected, ice cube didn't melt any.	5mins	0
Trial 3	1/4 tsp	Water slightly went through the baking soda, no water collected. No melting	5mins	0
Trial 4	1/4 tsp	Water went completely through the baking soda, but still not collected water underneath.	5mins	0
Trial 5	1/4 tsp	Baking soda stayed almost completely dry, no melting occurred.	5mins	0
Trial 6	1/4 tsp	Became a liquid and a white substance, still no melting.	5mins	0
Trial 7	1/4 tsp	Still no melting, baking soda remained on top of the ice cube, no water.	5mins	app. 1/8 tsp
Trial 8	1/4 tsp	Ice cube stayed in tact, no melting. baking soda remained a powder with slight dampness.	5mins	0
Trial 9	1/4 tsp	No penetration of baking soda into the ice cube, no melting.	5mins	0
Trial 10	1/4 tsp	No melting, baking soda stayed a powder	5mins	0

Data Table 4: With Different Amounts: (more baking soda)

	Amount of Salt	Amount of Baking Soda	Observations	Time	Water Collected
Trial 1	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Ice cube cratered and water was collected.	5mins	app. 1/8 tsp
Trial 2	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Mixed together, cratered the ice cube	5mins	app. 1/16 tsp
Trial 3	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Mixed together and ice cube cratered in, little water underneath	5mins	app. 1/16 tsp
Trial 4	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Huge crater, melted more than trial 3.	5mins	app. 1/8 tsp
Trial 5	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Substance stayed on the top, no craters, little water collected.	5mins	app. 1/8 tsp
Trial 6	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Mixed in more than trial 5, little water collected.	5mins	app. 1/16 tsp
Trial 7	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Started to melt around 2 minutes, substance mixed together and melted the ice.	5mins	app. 1/16 tsp
Trial 8	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Substance stayed on the top and didn't really mix together.	5mins	1/16 tsp
Trial 9	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Had little reaction with he ice, melted ice.	5mins	1/8 tsp
Trial 10	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp	Started melting within 3 minutes, water pooled underneath.	5mins	1/16 tsp

Data Table 5: Just Salt

	Amount Of Salt	Amount of B. Soda	Observations	Time	Water Collected
Trial 1	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Salt melted in immediately, and the ice cube stared to melt. Lots of water collected.	5 mins	1/4 tsp
Trial 2	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Salt dissolved into the ice cube and started to melt the ice. Is melting a lot faster than with baking soda.	5 mins	1/4 tsp
Trial 3	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Mixed in immediately again, water pooled underneath.	5 mins	1/4 tsp
Trial 4	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Salt stayed on top a little longer, but still significantly melted the ice cube.	5 mins	1/2 tsp
Trial 5	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Started melted at 2 minutes, and salt started to dissolve. Ice cube cracked and it froze the salt together.	5 mins	1/2 tsp
Trial 6	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Salt stayed on top and melted the ice cube.	5 mins	1/4 tsp
Trial 7	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Ice cube cracked, and salt mixed in with the water almost immediately.	5 mins	1/4 tsp
Trial 8	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Ice cube became smooth, and looked shiny, had water pooled underneath.	5 mins	1/2 tsp
Trial 9	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Salt dissolved into the ice, made the ice cube shiny. Had water collected underneath.	5 mins	1/4 tsp
Trial 10	1/4 tsp	0 tsp	Salt froze to the top of ice cube, water was collected.	5 mins	1/4 tsp

Graph 1: This graph represents the averages of each data table in a histogram


Series one is the average amount of water. x-axis(number of trials)
y-axis(average of water collected)

Picture 1: This is a picture of two ice cubes with salt and baking soda on them.

Picture 2: This is a picture of the two house hold items used to melt the ice.


Discussion:
For this project the idea was to figure out which substance (using baking soda and salt) would melt ice faster. After averaging all of the results of water collected as shown in graph 1, trial five had the most water. The average for trial one is 0.125, trial two is 0.125, trial 3 is zero, trial four is 0.125, and trial five is 0.25. This occurred because of the colligative property. These are the properties that depend on the number of dissolved particles in the solution, but not the identities of the solute. For example this is why salt water has a lower freezing point of regular water. Another property is melting point. Melting point is the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid. This applied to this project because to melt the ice there had to be a melting point and the substances helped. As seen in trial one there wasn't as much water collected as trial five. (same as the other trials) Even though the averages of trials one, two, and four were the same a seen in the data tables the amount of water collected varied trial five still had more. Some possible source if error could have occurred for the measuring of the water wasn't accurate because there should have been a use of millimeters instead of tsp to make it more accurate. Also, when the water was poured into the teaspoon for some of the trials it had salt at the bottom which was increase the volume. To improve these errors, someone else could use millimeters instead of teaspoons and drain the water so there isn't any salt in the measuring the water. Another way to improve this project is to use more substances instead of just baking soda and salt.

Conclusion:

As the hypothesis states, if using baking soda and salt then the ice will melt faster than with just salt or baking soda. During the procedure the salt seemed to melt the ice better without any baking soda. After conducting the experiment it shows that salt by itself melts ice faster than with more or less baking soda.

Application:

This experiment could help someone who needs to melt ice off of their driveway or side walk without having to pay for the expenses of road salt. An average bag costs $6.49 while a container of salt costs approximatley $2.00 according to where it is bought. This is important to real life because people could save approximatley four dollars for every container since table salt works just as effectively. This is also how the study of this could be taken further, finding more household items that aren't as expensive as rock salt that would work just as effectively.


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